McCarthy committed to Ireland

James McCarthy is desperate to make his Ireland debut, ending any uncertainty regarding his allegiance.

Last Updated: 25/03/11 2:45pm

James McCarthy is desperate to make his Republic of Ireland debut against Macedonia on Saturday, ending any uncertainty regarding his international allegiance.

The Glasgow-born Wigan midfielder is yet to figure for Ireland in a competitive contest, having won his only senior cap in a friendly encounter.

That means the 20-year-old could still switch to Scotland if he wished, with the door open for him to take such a decision.

It was suggested in February that he was contemplating turning out for the country of his birth, as he pulled out of a Carling Nations Cup clash with Wales.

McCarthy, though, insists his absence from that fixture was down to a slight knock and that he remains fully committed to the Irish cause.

Rehab

He said: said: "There was talk here and there, but as far as I saw it, it was just the press jumping on stuff and there was nothing came of it.

"I pulled out last month because of my ankle. I was doing rehab and I wanted to look after myself, and the club wanted to look after me as well.

"My main thing now is to try to get some game-time on the park and put it all to bed now."

McCarthy's attempts to appease Ireland and national coach Giovanni Trapattoni have not been helped by his club boss Roberto Martinez, who recently suggested that the youngster was weighing up his options.

He claims that has never been the case and recently held clear the air talks with Trapattoni in an effort to bring the distracting issue to a close.

Support

He said: "I'm not sure where that came from. He [Martinez] was just trying to look after me. He has been great with me since I went to the club and I couldn't praise him any more.

"He is delighted to see me getting caps here and there. He was wanting me to go, he just doesn't want me to do too much. He's trying to look after me.

"That's the way it is. He's delighted for me to get a cap.

"The gaffer has done really, really well for me. He has not put me in any trouble at all. I don't know where the stories came from.

"Everything went well [with Trapattoni]. I was happy with what he was telling me. But nothing had changed and I am happy just to get away with Ireland and put all this stuff to bed now."